The Defense Secretary Who Delights in War

A defense secretary celebrating "mercilessness." A military leader who mocks enemies as "toast" while gleefully describing "death and destruction raining down from the skies." This isn't a character from a war movie—it's Pete Hegseth, America's current Secretary of Defense.

His Pentagon briefings since the Iran war began haven't revealed anything new about Hegseth. But they've crystallized exactly why he's the wrong person for the job.

Victory Without Humility

Four days into Operation Epic Fury, Hegseth strutted to the podium Wednesday with his typical swagger. "I stand before you today with one unmistakable message: America is winning decisively, devastatingly, and without mercy," he declared. Iran, a nation of 90 million people bordering seven countries, was simply "toast."

He compared Iran's military to a confused football team that "doesn't know what plays to call, let alone how to get in the huddle." Missing from his triumphant assessment? Any acknowledgment of potential challenges ahead—internal fragmentation, insurgency, humanitarian crises, regional destabilization, or global economic disruption.

The joint American-Israeli air campaign has indeed been effective. But wars that begin well don't always end well, and they often produce unintended consequences. Hegseth showed no awareness of this basic truth.

The Manosphere Warrior

Hegseth's emotional affect during these briefings is what's most striking—his delight in celebrating mercilessness, his glee in "punching them while they're down." This fits a disturbing pattern.

On Monday, he mocked "traditional allies who wring their hands and clutch their pearls, hemming and hawing about the use of force." He promised "no stupid rules of engagement, no nation-building quagmire, no politically correct wars." Instead: "We are warriors, trained to kill the enemy and break their will."

Last September, he summoned generals and admirals from around the globe for a 45-minute lecture: "This administration has done a great deal to remove the social justice, politically correct, toxic ideological garbage that had infected our department. No more identity months, DEI offices, or dudes in dresses."

The performance reached peak absurdity when Trump signed an executive order renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War, with Hegseth promising "maximum lethality, not tepid legality."

Personal Demons in Public Office

Hegseth admits to a "somewhat difficult past." He's faced allegations of financial mismanagement, alcohol abuse, and sexual misconduct (all of which he denies). His transformation from self-admitted womanizer to associate of Douglas Wilson—a Christian-nationalist pastor who opposes women's suffrage and writes about men "conquering" and "colonizing" women—suggests someone wrestling with unresolved issues.

His resentment toward the military runs deep. He says the military "spit me out" and has lobbied for pardons for service members convicted of war crimes. He's defended Blackwater contractors who murdered Iraqi civilians and wants to restore "shark attacks" in basic training, allowing drill sergeants to "put their hands on recruits."

There's something deeply performative about Hegseth's tough-guy persona, as if he's trying to prove something to himself and others. The Pentagon's inspector general found he put U.S. personnel at risk by using Signal to convey sensitive military information—inadvertently texting The Atlantic's editor-in-chief about war plans.

What True Warriors Look Like

Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander in World War II, offers a stark contrast. Having witnessed war's violence firsthand, he developed a profound aversion to it. "I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can," Eisenhower said, "only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity."

Abraham Lincoln led America through the Civil War while maintaining what Lord Charnwood called "a natural wealth of tender compassion" that "became richer and more tender while in the stress of deadly conflict he developed an astounding strength."

Both were great warriors precisely because they were reluctant warriors. War weighed on them. They understood its human cost and exercised immense caution in using military force.

The Danger of Bloodlust in Power

Hegseth approaches matters of war and peace without reverence or humility. His instincts lean toward aggression; he appears to relish the destruction he can unleash. This isn't strength—it's a dangerous weakness masquerading as toughness.

We need leaders who can guide the nation to victory when necessary. But that's entirely different from having leaders who indulge in bloodlust or are wrestling with inner demons while making life-and-death decisions.

Eisenhower and Lincoln maintained their humanity while sending young people into battle. They showed that power need not harden human sympathies. Neither delighted in enemy suffering.